Development of a natural gas fuel processor system for PEM fuel cells for building applications

Conference · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1998

OSTI ID:20002720

Smith, M J; Farris, P J; Blasiole, G A; Fiskum, R; Swift, W

International Fuel Cells Corporation (IFC), under a Cooperative Agreement with the US Department of Energy, is conducting a program to establish the feasibility and design basis for the fuel processor system necessary for a natural gas fueled PEM, cogenerator, fuel cell power plant in building applications. The one-year program is the first phase of an anticipated three phase effort. The power plant would supply both electric and thermal loads to the building. The fuel processor system includes the fuel reformer, a shift converter and a post gas treatment system necessary to provide hydrogen rich gas at purity levels consistent with PEM fuel cell requirements. The program goals include a fuel processor system manufactured cost of $350 per kilowatt at a production rate of 5,000 units per year, and a fuel processor system efficiency consistent with an overall power plant efficiency of 35% on a higher heating value basis. System trade studies, focused on a 50 kilowatt power plant rating, were performed to establish the fuel processor system requirements. These requirements provided the basis for laboratory research activities to identify higher performance and/or lower cost fuel processing processes and designs. Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), under subcontract to IFC, has performed manufactured cost analysis studies of alternative fuel processor system component configurations to identify lower cost design approaches and manufacturing processes.

• Research Organization: International Fuel Cells, South Windsor, CT (US)
• OSTI ID: 20002720
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
08 HYDROGEN
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
COGENERATION
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
HYDROGEN GENERATORS
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS FUEL CELLS
ON-SITE POWER GENERATION
PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS
REFORMER PROCESSES